Understanding Domestic Violence

This article examines the origin and history of the concept of “domestic violence” and distinguishes between domestic violence and battering. It recognizes that batterer intervention cannot occur without an analysis of the distinctly different forms of intimate partner violence.

This article goes beyond assessment of immediate safety risks of battered women and focuses on the varied social features that impact their choices and decisions. Many of the social factors that commonly relate to women’s experiences of battering and act as hindrances to securing women’s safety are labeled here as “social risks” such as immigration, child protection, job, finances, family, and religion. These social risks carry differential value for each woman according to her social circumstances and status. The article points out that social risks are the results of history and simultaneous occurrences, which may intersect and interact to promote complicated emotions, attitudes, and perspectives. Social risks are presented here as concentric bands around a battered woman: Immediate personal risks, Institutional risks, and Cultural risks.
A model of analysis presented in this article directs advocates and practitioners to consider assessment aspects that would lead to achieving sustainable safety for battered women of diverse backgrounds.